A young fan checks out the welcome signs at the main entrance during ESPN The Weekend at Disney's Hollywood Studios, Friday, Feb. 26, 2010. (Joe Burbank/Orlando Sentinel)

Street and Smith’s Sports Business Daily is reporting that ESPN and the NFL “have agreed to broad terms on a new media rights deal that will be worth nearly $2 billion per year.”

According to the report, the deal currently does not include the NFL playoffs or Super Bowl. And that thud you just heard is the sound of every NFLPA member hitting a wall.

Just a few days ago, NFL commissioner Roger Goodell sends an e-mail to NFL fans stroking the violin of sympathy about how hard the league is working to avoid a 2011 NFL lockout. Now, we’re talking about a $2 billion television deal? Keep in mind, this is just one contract and this one doesn’t even include the Super Bowl, which is a multi-million grossing event all by itself.

According to the article, “Even before this negotiation, ESPN was paying the league much more than any of the NFL’s other TV partners. ESPN’s annual payout of $1.1 billion dwarfs the annual rights fees paid by Fox ($720 million), CBS ($620 million) and NBC ($603 million). DirecTV pays about $1 billion a year for exclusive access to Sunday Ticket.”

And here’s another interesting fact. Last May, Anheuser-Busch CEO Dave Peacock said the brewer of Budweiser signed a deal worth $1.2 billion to be the league’s sole beer sponsor thus kicking Coors Light out of the picture. However, it should be known that beer companies can still negotiate individual contracts per market, hence Miller Lite is the official beer of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and the Dallas Cowboys.

“Economic conditions, however, have changed dramatically inside and outside the NFL since 2006 when we negotiated the last CBA. A 10 percent unemployment rate hurts us all. Fans have limited budgets and rightly want the most for their money. I get it,” Goodell said in his earlier e-mail. “Yes, NFL players deserve to be paid well. Unfortunately, economic realities are forcing everyone to make tough choices and the NFL is no different.”

Yeah, the NFL is facing tough times alright. So those whiny NFL players should stop complaining about health care and salaries. Take your paycut, play more games and shut-up.

NFL Players Association executive director DeMaurice Smith, right, and NFL commissioner Roger Goodell, sit at the witness table on Capitol Hill in Washington during a House Judiciary Committee hearing on legal issues relating to football head injuries. Coming out of the Great Recession, pro sports league managers wants to reduce the percentage of revenue that goes to players. The goal has been voiced by NFL and NBA owners and could spill over to the NHL. (AP Photo/Charles Dharapak, File)

NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell e-mailed a heartfelt letter to an estimated 5 million sports fans Monday saying he believed the NFL Players Association and NFL owners would work out their differences for the collective bargaining agreement.

Goodell outlined the NFL’s stance on slicing rookie salaries, player health and the league’s proposal for an 18-game regular season and two meaningful preseason competitions.

It’s a textbook persuasive argument essay in favor of the owners and Goodell. And he was effective in getting out the NFL’s version of events, but still avoided the main question; when?

No one doubts that an agreement will be reached eventually. There are billion dollar sponsorship and television contracts on the line after all.

But one key issue that must be resolved is player health. The restructuring of an 18-game season and two preseason games that would count under the new agreement, is clearly demanding more field time for players. Under the current format, there are four meaningless preseason games that allow backups to get an opportunity to play as star players rest.

Fans have complained about the fruitless nature of the preseason for years, as Goodell addressed in his e-mail. But should the preseason count, then I doubt coaches would sit their stars which means more playing time.

NFLPA President Kevin Mawae said the player association’s response to the restructuring was to shorten the duration of offseason training during a media conference call.

“Our counterproposal was to significantly reduce the exposure of risk to our players in the off-season through shortened OTAS, mini-camps and training camps. In addition to that, we asked for better healthcare upon retirement of our players. At the point now, we only have five years of post-career medical health insurance. So, they’re asking us to add more [health] risk to what we’re doing, yet not increase the medical [benefits] that we get at the end of our careers.”

Judging from Mawae’s responses to the NFL’s counterpoints, it doesn’t sound like either side has budged much yet.

To read Roger Goodell’s full letter click below.

With one of the most exciting regular seasons now completed and the playoffs about to begin, let me first thank you and all NFL fans for your incredible support. Many fans have been asking me where we stand on signing a new collective bargaining agreement with the players union. Let me update you and be clear at the outset:

I know we can and will reach an agreement.

My goal as Commissioner now is to help our teams and players find a solution that is fair to everyone and ensures that football becomes more popular, accessible, and fun. We want the next decade to be the best yet for our fans, and I’m ready to work day and night to make that happen.

We’ve come a long way. Compare where we are today with 10 years ago. From player accountability to player safety, more and better television coverage, upgrading the in-stadium experience, innovations like the RedZone channel, the Draft in prime time and playing the Pro Bowl before the Super Bowl, we are focused on doing what’s best for the players, teams, and fans. My priority is and always will be the game and the fans who love our game.

The NFL is great because fans care deeply about it. Economic conditions, however, have changed dramatically inside and outside the NFL since 2006 when we negotiated the last CBA. A 10 percent unemployment rate hurts us all. Fans have limited budgets and rightly want the most for their money. I get it.

Yes, NFL players deserve to be paid well. Unfortunately, economic realities are forcing everyone to make tough choices and the NFL is no different.

These are not easy negotiations, but the outcome can be positive. If both sides give a little, everyone, including fans, will get a lot and the game will improve through innovation.

Even in difficult economic times, a new CBA presents us with the opportunity to secure the future of our game. You may ask how will the NFL look under this vision?

A significant change would be to resolve fan complaints about preseason by modifying our 20-game format. Fans tell us they don’t like the quality of the preseason games, and we’re listening. An enhanced season of 18 regular season and two preseason games would not add a single game for the players collectively, but would give fans more meaningful, high-quality football.

Our emphasis on player health and safety is absolutely essential to the future of our game. We are strictly enforcing rules that protect players from unnecessarily dangerous play, especially involving hits to the head. We are changing the “play through it” culture to a “player-first” culture to ensure that if a player has a head injury, he doesn’t play again until his health is certain. We are also addressing the potential wear-and-tear on players in the way they train in-season and off-season.

It’s not just the health of players that concerns us. We must ensure the health of the league. That includes a new system that properly compensates proven veterans and retired players by shifting some of the outrageous sums paid to many unproven rookies. Earlier this year, Sports Illustrated published a list of the 50 highest-paid American athletes that included five 2009 NFL rookies. Every other athlete on the list was a proven veteran. In 2009, NFL clubs contracted $1.2 billion to 256 drafted rookies with $585 million guaranteed before they had stepped on an NFL field.

Don’t get me wrong: top draft choices will continue to be highly paid. All we’re asking for is a return to common sense in paying our rookies. Other leagues have done this and we can too.

These improvements and more will lead to better football, plain and simple. A forward looking CBA that is fair to players and clubs will lead to a great future for the NFL and our fans.

My job is to represent the game — the fans, teams, players, coaches and business partners. Protecting the integrity of the game and ensuring it thrives is a responsibility I take very seriously.

This is about more than a labor agreement. It’s about the future of the NFL. We have to improve and will be relentless in our quest. The commitment to our fans is to make the NFL experience even better in the years ahead. With a responsible CBA, we will fulfill that vision.